Girls and boys from all over LA joined us at the Unite for Girls Pep Rally in Los Angeles to learn about the lives of girls in Malawi, Liberia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, and to start to take action by getting involved in Girl Up.

The Unite for Girls tour is in Los Angeles this week, and we got off to a great start with a high-energy event at Variety last night. Over 200 people came together to celebrate Girl Up and give a High Five for girls around the world.

One of the UN’s jobs is to keep peace around the world, and this is a big job.  In the United States, we can vote in an election once we turn 18 and know that our vote will be counted.  We don’t wake up on a daily basis worrying that the building we go to school or work in will be bombed.  But some people do.

When I tell people that I work for the United Nations (UN) Foundation, one of the most common questions I get is, “Do you work in the UN building?” I don’t. And in fact, many people who work for the UN work in office buildings other than the UN headquarters building located on the East River in New York City.

When I was little, my sister and I would sit down after trick or treating and would spread our candy all over the living room floor so that we could count and sort it.

Victoria Justice - teen actress, singer and Girl Up champion - was honored on Sunday, October 24, at Variety magazine’s annual Power of Youth event for her work with Girl Up.

We are so excited here at Girl Up that the 65th United Nations Day is this Sunday, October 24, so for this High Five Friday, we want to High Five the United Nations!

I’ve spent more time away from home than at home lately, but I’m so fortunate to have the chance to meet some incredible people on my trips to Africa to meet with our UN, government, and NGO partners. 

Last week I was given the most amazing opportunity -- a chance to interview a Prime Minister on BBC Radio! I received a phone call late one night asking if I was up for this and I said YES!

Girl Up visited the Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS) in Denver yesterday to kick off our partnership with the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools!

One of the Girl Up campaign’s strongest partners in its work to improve the lives of girls living in developing countries is the United Nations (UN)... With more than 600 million adolescent girls globally – each of whom has tremendous potential to impact their family, community and our world – it’s critical that the UN address the rights and needs of girls.

In the United States, most 12-year-old girls are studying for a math test, shopping at the mall with the best friends, playing sports, and talking about boys (or girls!). But in many countries around the world, 12-year-old girls are already viewed as women – they are getting married, having children, and doing hard labor to feed their families.

I’ve just returned from my first trip to Liberia. It’s a beautiful country – palm trees and coastline and lush, green jungles – but a terrible civil war ended only six years ago, killing thousands and destroying roads, schools, hospitals, and lives.